UPDATE: Search-and-rescue teams save injured hiker near Hope

Search and rescue teams from around the Eastern Fraser Valley were involved in the successful rescue of an injured hiker on the weekend.

Hope Volunteer Search and Rescue (HSAR) was called out at around 5 p.m. on Saturday to a hiker who had fallen down a mountainside near Sowaqua Creek, and was reported to possibly have a dislocated shoulder and broken wrist.

There turned out to be three hikers involved. The first fell down an embankment near Sowaqua Creek, a second went down to help and got soaked himself so stayed with the injured individual, according to HSAR manager Mario Levesque.

The third made his way back to call for help.

Levesque said he then called in Kent-Harrison Search and Rescue (KHSAR) followed by Chilliwack Search and Rescue (CSAR) to get more long-line expertise involved.

Eventually Levesque called in the big guns, as he was not getting accurate information on the location.

“A Canadian Forces Rescue Helicopter was requested due to uncertainty of the exact location the injured hikers and difficulty of the terrain,” according to an HSAR press release.

The two hikers were approximately 15 kilometres off the Sowaqua Forest Service Road (FSR).

At around 1 a.m. on Sunday the Cormorant helicopter from 442 Squadron arrived to assist in locating the individuals. Just 17 minutes later they were located along the creek, but because of the difficult terrain, it took a further three hours for extraction and to get them to hospital via Cormorant.

On Sunday night, someone who said he was a friend of the man rescued reported the rescued individual was in hospital, and doing well.